Stephanie Forrest (University of New Mexico; SFI Science Board; External Professor)
Abstract. Computer programmers like to think of software as the product of intelligent design, carefully crafted to meet well-specified goals. In reality, large software systems evolve inadvertently through the actions of many individual programmers, often leading to unanticipated consequences. Because software is subject to constraints similar to those faced by evolving biological systems, we have much to gain by viewing software through the lens of evolutionary biology. The talk will highlight recent research applying the mechanisms of evolution quite directly to the problem of repairing software bugs, including security vulnerabilities. It will describe an automated method for repairing errors in off-the-shelf, legacy programs without formal specifications, program annotations, or special coding practices.